For most homeschoolers, training our children in domestic duties is one of the skills we want to pass along to the next generation. Sparks may fly, however, when Mom and someone else are working the kitchen at the same time. Often, the clash is simply due to a difference in personalities and the fact that there is more than one way to do things. If that is your situation, you may want to try these strategies for solving the problem:
Separate your times in the kitchen. Plan it so the two of you are in the kitchen at opposite times during a day. Totally assign to one or the other the complete holiday preparation for a special holiday. This lets one of you be the queen of your domain for a day or for a special meal, without having to go through the other one’s psyche to do each step. Either you totally take control and do things yourself, or your mature daughter (or son) takes over and tackles it all; you alternate back and forth. You are available in the background, in some other place, to give advice or assistance if requested. Then, rave about the other person’s accomplishments and render great respect and gratefulness for the work she or he did. You can thoroughly enjoy the meals someone else cooked—and let each other know that via lavish praise. Sometimes, especially when one person’s mind is totally occupied with other things, she may ask you to cook and she does the dishes—splitting the workload in half, but the two of you are still not in the kitchen at the same time. This can lighten your load and brighten the atmosphere of your home if the kitchen is a scene of daily conflict. For some families and multiple daughters, kitchen work is not a source of contention.
